In the Process of Forgetting
by EmericShroud
Summary: Harry and Ginny have a bad breakup after the War. In an attempt to get away from the idiotic Bureaucrats of the Ministry, and the bloodthirsty vultures of the Press, Harry moves to Staten Island NY to try and have some peace. but what happens when he meets a freshly awakened Steve in a bar? Rated M for language and possible future adult situations. the main pairing is Harry/Steve.
1. Prologue

**_Prolog_**

The war was over.

That meant everyone got their happy ending right? Well, unfortunately, reality is a bitch.

" I'm leaving you, Harry," Ginny said as she packed a bag.

"Wha- why!? What did I do? Tell me and I'll fix it." He pleaded.

"Harry, it's nothing that you did," she said turning to face him. "But we don't fit together the way we used to."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry I love you, but when I come home from a long trip, I don't want to curl up on the sofa by the fire, I want to have hot, heavy, wall slamming sex until I can't walk anymore. That's not what you want, and that's fine, but we both have needs and this relationship isn't helping either of us."

" I can try harder!"

"Harry I've already met someone else…" it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"What?"

"We met a while ago, but I was hesitant to do anything because of you, but I'm tired of worrying and wanting Harry. I just… we want different things now. You want a family and a quiet life. But I want to go out and party, make mistakes. I want to be with someone who makes my pulse race every time he looks at me. I want to be famous for being me, the seeker of the Holyhead Harpies. But instead, all I'm known for is dating you."

Harry Stayed quiet as he listened to her tirade, too astounded to interrupt.

"I still love you Harry, but I don't want to wake up one morning and find myself hating you because I didn't take my chance while I had it. I also really don't want you to hate me for wanting something else. Please understand Harry, I know it seems selfish, but I'm doing this for the both of us."

"I-I understand, you do what you feel is right Gin," Harry said weakly.

"Harry, are you gonna be okay?"

Harry wasn't sure if he answered her or not, everything became a blur after that. Not surprisingly, their break up made headlines. The first day it was in the papers they attacked Ginny saying she had been unfaithful. Harry had shut them right up and a retraction was printed that night. Of course after that one thing after another. None of the Weasleys seemed to understand why it had happened, constantly questioning him about it. After almost a month of being stalked by reporters and gossips, he decided he needed to get away for a while. So he bought a house in Staten Island USA and he was off. Maybe he would give socializing a try.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A one night stand.

Harry mumbled under his breath as he walked through the snow-covered streets of New York City. He had been banned from yet another bar. He had tried going to magical ones, but after several instances where he was recognized, he gave up on them and started going to the muggle ones. The only problem was, he couldn't get drunk. Or rather he could, it just took a lot more than it would for the average muggle. It was a sad thing, his own magic burned off the alcohol too quickly. So it took a lot to get him even buzzed. Unfortunately, the bartenders didn't know that fact and kept kicking him out. Probably didn't want to risk him falling over dead from alcohol poisoning. Even still, it was mildly inconvenient. There was still plenty of clubs he could go to. But they tended to be far louder than he typically cared for.

There were a few 'high class' clubs that he could still get into, but they rarely had anything strong on hand, and attempting to get pissed around a bunch of self-important upper crust snobs was a little… awkward. Thankfully, all hope of killing his sobriety was not lost. There was still Mauds' place.

That was the name of the bar. The guy who owned it named it after his mother. He was an old war veteran, but more importantly than that, he was a squib. He had alcohol from both worlds, not that anyone ever got something they shouldn't. He was very careful about that. Muggles who drank things like fire whiskey tended to end up in hospitals. Gilly water and other weak drinks would usually be fine. Just nothing too strong.

Harry walked into the bar and smiled. There was a couple of old timers sitting at a table in the corner sharing a beer and a few old war stories. Mitch, the owner, was behind the counter wiping off some shelves. At the far end of the bar was one of the most muscular men Harry had ever seen, in person anyway.

"Ah Harry, let me guess, you out drank another bartender am I right?"

"You got me, Mitch."

"Usual?"

"Make it a double would ya?"

Mitch gave him a look. "That good huh?"

Harry let out a sigh, he had some good days and some bad days. This just happened to be one of the ladders.

"Seems it's one-a-those nights," Mitch observed handing Harry his drink. "Old Andrew just found out his Grandson died overseas," he explained jerking a thumb towards the two old timers.

Harry winced. "buy their next round on me kay."

"Sure," Mitch said making a note next to his register. "Then you got Steve over there."

Harry looked at the man again seeing that he was just staring unblinkingly at his half-full bottle of beer. "Poor guy woke up from a coma, no family left and can't find any of his friends. With the way, he's been drinking he might be able to take your title."

"Fat chance," Harry snorted into his drink. "Do you think he'd mind some company?"

"Won't know unless you try right?" Harry only nodded before downing the rest of his drink and heading down the bar to sit next to the attractive blonde.

"Hi there," Harry said with a tiny wave.

"Um, hello…" Steve responded somewhat slowly, clearly not expecting a stranger to approach him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh, no, I mean yes, I mean… uh, just go ahead."

Harry chuckled a bit as he took the seat.

"So, this your first time in here?"

"What?"

"The bar? Have you ever been here before?"

"O-Oh, not really. I came in here briefly last week. But it was a little crowded."

"Really?" Harry asked surprised. Must have been an event for one of Mitch's regulars.

"Bernie was told he was in remission," Mitch said coming over and putting a fresh drink in front of the raven-haired man.

That would explain it. Bernie was one of those old timers that loved to tell you the same story a million times. But every time it was a little different. Poor sod had been diagnosed with lung cancer a few years back. Harry was happy to hear he was doing well.

As the night went on, Harry began buying Steve his drinks and Vice versa. At some point, Steve started taking swigs from Harry's glass. Of course, no one noticed this until they were both thoroughly trashed.

Harry led Steve out of the bar, both of them relying on each other to stay up.

"St-SSSteve...You're drunk." Harry said with a stupid loopy grin.

"Looook whoth talkn'..." Steve slurred back.

They both dissolved into giggles from there.

"Come on handthome, I have a, a, whath that word again?"

"Box?"

"Pshhh, no why would I have a box….room, thas wha I got. I gots a room nearby we can crash in."

Harry and Steve stumbled their way to the Hotel that Harry had a room in and made their way up stairs. It took the two of them five minutes to fumble the keycard into the door.

"Here we gooo." Harry said as they stepped inside. Steve went over and fell face first on the bed.

"Hey, thath my bed." Harry said stupidly trying to pull the muscular man off by his foot. Of course, he wasn't even remotely successful. Steve stood up suddenly and looked at Harry for a moment. Then, before Harry could say anything, he picked him up and tossed him on the bed. Harry was surprised for a second but quickly came to his senses when Steve had successfully straddled his hips and was looking at him with lust filled eyes.

"Tell me to stop," Steve asked almost pleading, he was surprisingly coherent for a moment, as he leaned in closer to Harry's face.

Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around Steve's beefy neck and met the man's lips halfway muttering a single word as he did so.

"Never."

-oOlllOo-

Harry awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. It didn't take him long to notice he wasn't in his own house. He must have ended up staying in the hotel after drinking. It wouldn't have been the first time. Getting up, He padded his way into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face to help clear his head. As the cold water trickled down his torso, he finally took note of his Nakedness.

 _Huh, I usually just crash when I'm drunk. The only times I've woken up Naked were when-_

He cut that thought off as the realization hit him hard. He rushed back out and looked at the bed to see the sleeping form of Steve.

 _Oh, fuck me in the Alpes!_ He mentally screamed. Taking a deep breath he made his way over to the bed and gently lifted the sheets.

 _Please be wearing clothes, Please be wearing clothes, Please be wearing clothes_ , Steve was Naked, _FUCK!_

Harry took a deep breath and got dressed. He was just about to apparate out of there when guilt stopped him. Steve was a nice guy, he didn't want to just disappear without an explanation. If he were being completely honest, he wanted to get back in the bed and cuddle. But he knew that nothing could come of this. Steve was a Muggle. And Harry loved magic too much to give it up. Biting his lip, he made his way over to the desk and pulled over the complimentary stationery and wrote a quick note. Once that was done, he apparated out of the room and directly into his house in Staten Island.

-oOlllOo-

Steve awoke to what he first thought was gunfire, but soon attributed to his mind playing tricks on him. When he realized he was in the hotel room Harry had brought him to the night before. He couldn't help the goofy grin that spread over his face as he thought of all that had happened between them. Never had Steve connected with someone on so many levels. And certainly not so quickly. He and Harry just seemed to understand each other in some strange way. Looking over at the other side of the bed he noticed that Harry was gone.

 _Maybe he's in the bathroom? No, I can't hear the water. Did he leave? His clothes are gone too._

All these questions and others went through his mind as he examined the room. It didn't take him long to stumble upon the note.

 **Dear Steve,**

 **Last night was the most magical night I've ever had. And trust me, you will never know just how amazing that is. And I'm sorry that I'm not there with you now, I'm sorry that I left you with nothing but this stupid note, but I know we can't be together.**

 **Please don't think me one of those people who sleep with others just to add another notch in their belt. I'm not. You are an amazing man, and if I weren't such a sack of Shite I would stay, but I can't.**

 **I'm so sorry, but we are from different worlds. And, quite frankly, I am toxic. I refuse to drag you into the horror story that has become my life. It would be better if you just forgot about me and moved on.**

 **With all the love I can give, Harry-**

Steve wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. He was hurt, and he was confused, but most surprisingly, he was angry. Who was Harry to decide that on his own? Forget about him? How? Harry had been his first in so many things. They had connected in a way he didn't think he ever could with someone. Forget him? Not going to happen. And what was that nonsense about two different worlds, and his putting himself down. Did he think Steve was just going to let that slide? No, what he was going to do was find Harry and get a real explanation.

But it was at that moment that Steve realized, he didn't really know anything about Harry. He knew he was English, knew he lived on the east coast, and that he was in his twenties. But beyond that, nothing of any real substance. Nothing that would help him find him anyway. Scowling he walked over to his pants and pulled out his wallet. Inside was a piece of paper with a single phone number. They had given him a Cell phone, but he wasn't used to carrying one and so forgot it quite frequently.

He dialed it into the room phone and after a moment the call went through.

"Hello, you've reached the SHIELD direct line. How may I-"

"This is Captain Steve Rogers, I need to talk to Director Furry."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Life is a Bitch.

Harry decided that it was probably a good idea to avoid the city for a while after that night. He mostly stayed home and kept to himself. That first week it was kind of hard, being in that big house all alone for so long. He had been living there for almost two years now and yet he hadn't furnished any room beyond his bedroom and the upstairs kitchen.

After a couple days, he decided to change that. Even if it

just to fight off his boredom. He furnished the basement, which had a home theater and bar, as well as a deco kitchen. The Living Room and two of the remaining 5 bedrooms. The whole process took him about two weeks. Then it happened. Harry woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling like his insides were fighting to be on the outside.

At first, he wrote it off as nothing. Probably just something that he ate. But as the days went by and the Nausea continued to fade in and out, he knew he had to get himself checked.

Luckily, most of the Healers for the magical whorls were willing to do home visits. Harry really didn't want to go to the hospital and cause a scene. The convenient thing about Magical America, they were far more modern than their European counterparts. They weren't quite at the point of being able to use Cellphones and computers just yet. But Harry did have a Dial telephone in his room that was for magical use. As well as a magical phone book too.

That afternoon, not even an hour after he had called, Harry greeted the healer at his door. She reminded him, oddly enough, of Luna in a way. She had this happy smile on her face that would have been infectious, had he not felt like crap. Strawberry blonde curls that bounced as she walked. She looked a bit older than Harry, perhaps ten years or so. But probably the most impressive thing to Harry was her clothes. They were most definitely Muggle, and modern Muggle fashion, not Victorian. Or whatever the hell Wizards in Britain thought was modern Muggle fashion.

"Hello there," She said happily. "My name is Serene Hearthrow. I believe we spoke on the phone."

"Yes, thanks for coming." He said weakly, ushering her inside.

She got him to sit on the couch as she checked his vitals. "So when did this start?"

"I think it was two, maybe three days ago. I woke up almost puking in the bed, and then it just persisted after that."

"Hmmm." She sounded as she looked around the room in thought.

One of the good things about home visits was that the healer could look for anything that might have affected him in some way. But at the moment, the thing that struck her was the new furniture. It was all brand new. No dust or signs of wear anywhere.

"Did you just move in?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I've been living here for almost two years now. I just didn't bother to furnish or decorate until recently."

"Do you live alone?"

Harry looked at her suspiciously. "Yes…"

"No lovers?"

Harry blushes as he now understood what she was asking. "No."

"Roommates, business associates, even friends coming to stay?"

"No, no one else lives here. Why?"

"It's a big house for one person is all. If others had visited, or you were physical with someone. It could be possible that you contracted something from one of them."

Harry blinked and shook his head. "None of my friends know my address, and I'd like to keep it that way. Asked for being

I've only been with one person since moving here. But he was a Muggle, so I doubt I picked anything up from him."

"I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much." She said swishing her wand at him.

After a few minutes of casting spells she began chewing her lip in thought.

"Well, you don't have any STDs, or other ailments, magical or otherwise. And I can't detect any sort of allergic reaction to anything…"

"So, what do you think it is? A bad potion or something?"

"No, I would have picked up on that when I was checking for allergies. I'll be honest, I'm stumped. If you had told me you had slept with a Wizard, I would think you were pregnant, but that's just silly." She laughed. In order for a wizard to be pregnant, they either needed a special potion or have a partner with magic of their own.

Harry, however, was not laughing.

"C-Could you check anyway?"

Serene blinked, "sure, but I don't see how you could-" she grew silent as she cast the spell and a tiny green light ignited at the end of her wand.

Clearing her throat, she recast the spell on herself. But the light was white for her. Once more she cast it on Harry, and once again, she got a green light.

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order."

Harry banged his head against the armrest of the couch.

Steve was sitting in a cafe in London, staring at his coffee in thought. He had asked Furry almost two months ago if Shield could help find Harry. The Director had admonished him for the request, but acquiesced all the same. The problem, The only Harry Potter they had found from the UK who would have matched his age and description, seemingly disappeared when he was eleven. No records to be found anywhere. Same thing for his Mother, and they had absolutely

on his Father save for his name on Harry's birth certificate and his own death certificate. Steve had gone and spoken to Harry's Aunt and Uncle to try and see if they knew how to find him. But that turned out to be a mistake in so many ways. They were truly awful people. Their Son Dudley,on the other hand, had been somewhat nicer when they spoke. Although he hadn't really given Steve any useful information to find Harry. He had made it clear that if Harry didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.

He was supposed to be meeting with a Hermione Granger who apparently knew Harry. Dudley had arranged the meeting. He just hoped he could get some answers.

"Excuse me, are you Steve Rogers?" Asked a woman who had just come in.

" Yes, are you Hermione?"

"I am. I'm sorry if I'm late, I got stuck in a meeting."

"Oh, no you're fine."

She took a seat in front of him, smoothing out an invisible wrinkle in her skirt. "Now then, I feel I should tell you, I was actually

when my mother called me and told me she had a patient related to one of my best friends." She started, chuckling a bit.

"I was even more surprised however, to discover that it was

of all people. And that he wanted to put me in contact with you because of Harry. I'm not sure you can understand just how lucky you are."

"I, umm…"

"Harry hasn't spoken to his Aunt and Uncle since he was 17. And as far as I know, he has only ever exchanged one letter with his cousin since then." She said giving him a profound look of curiosity and a feeling of being impressed. "Someone upstairs must really want you to find him to set up this series of events."

"So you know where he is?" He asked

"Nope." She said watching him deflate. "Sadly, I haven't spoken to him in almost a year, his decision, not mine I assure you."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking."

"First things first, I'm going to need you to sign this." She said removing a sheet of yellowed paper from her purse.

Looking at the paper she handed him he was somewhat surprised to see it looked like a contract of sorts.

"What's this for?"

"Insurance," She said simply. "Not to insult you or anything, but I don't know you, nor do I know why you're looking for him. I'm not about to tell you anything if I think you're going to run off to the tabloids."

"Why would anyone-"

"Please, just sign the agreement." She cut him off holding out a red pen.

Not sure why she thought a contract was going to supposedly stop him from theoretically telling all of Harry's secrets, he took the Pen and signed on the dotted line. As soon as his name was on the paper, he noticed a distinct stinging sensation in the back of his hand.

"Everything alright?" She asked looking at the hand he was now rubbing.

"Yes, my hand just feels sore, that's all."

"I see,"

The following conversation was a long one. Hermione wanted to know why he was looking for Harry in the first place. That then led to another line of questioning, which in turn led to an explanation of magic, and who Harry Potter really was. In all honesty, he felt like he was the one being interrogated. And he just couldn't wrap his brain around the idea of magic.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." She said, rereading the letter Harry had left him. He had kept it since that night. Re-reading it over and over. His anger had long since abated, and now all he wanted was to see him again.

"Well, at least it explains what he meant in the letter by _from different worlds_."

Hermione hummed in agreement. It wasn't like Harry to have one-night stands. And it certainly wasn't like him to leave without a proper explanation. And yet, that made it all the more believable. Harry wasn't himself right now. Perhaps this man could help to heal him from the pain he was suffering. Had she not approved of his reasons for looking for Harry, she had planned to obliviate him and be done with it. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was a very likable and kind-hearted man.

"There isn't much I can tell you." She began, causing Steve to stiffen in attention. "I know he lives somewhere in Staten Island, and I know it'll be a big house. Harry doesn't like enclosed spaces, you see. So, think 4 bedrooms or more. Also, a big property, either with a tall fence, a thick tree line, or most likely both." She explained handing him the note.

"Thank you so much."

"Oh, don't thank me. You know that contract you signed?" She said packing away the few things she had brought out to show him to prove Magic's existence. "It's a magically binding agreement, it states that if you should use the information I've given you to attempt to deliberately hurt him in anyway, then the magic of the agreement, signed in your blood, will kill you."

Steve's eyes widened. She smiled a beautiful but terrifying smile at him.

"I'm very protective of my Family Mr. Rogers. And make no mistake, even if we aren't related by blood. Harry is my family." So saying, she stood up, nodded to him once more and left.

As Steve sat there alone, her final words ringing in his head, the only thought that came to him was,

 _Dear God, Women are Terrifying!_

—

"For the love of Merlin! Why do women choose to put themselves through this more than once!" Harry complained for about the umpteenth time that day.

It had been almost a month since he found out he was pregnant, and he was not enjoying the ride. His stomach was slightly distended already, and he was constantly switching between puking his guts out and eating everything he could get his hands on.

"As I already told you," Serene responded patiently. "Men have it harder than women because, despite magic aiding in the conception, the male body isn't made for childbearing. Thankfully, you're almost out of the worst of it."

Serene had ended up moving in when she insisted that Harry have another magical person on hand Incase something happened. But since Harry didn't want his friends to know where he was, and he wasn't about to ask someone else. That just left her. Thankfully, because of her Healer's oath, she couldn't do anything that could potentially harm him. That included blabbing to anyone about him. But over the last month the two had become close friends, even if she did keep insisting that he should find Steve and talk to him.

"I would think the worst of it would be the birth itself." Harry pouted.

"Don't pout," She said with amusement. "and no. The birth is painful sure, but you do it and boom, it's over. It also doesn't help that this is your first time. Your body is rearranging itself to make room for the baby. Your waistline is going to be all over the place until the magic settles down." she explained once more. But she had to get one more dig in. "Things sure would be if we had another body around here."

"No," he said simply

"Oh for the love of Morgana Harry! You're pregnant! You don't think he has a right to know?"

"And how exactly am I going to explain to him that I, the one-night stand that slept with him and disappeared the next morning, am now almost three months pregnant with his child...when I also happen to be a man?"

"There are plenty of strange things in the world Harry, he'd probably just think you were a mutant."

"Oh yeah, I totally want to go tell him now!"

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant as in an actual mutant. You know, a no-maj with special abilities."

"I still hate that word. It's too similar in its meaning to _freak_ for my taste," he explained to her. He hadn't gone into details about his upbringing, but she had gathered he hadn't had a happy childhood.

Before she could say anything else, the doorbell rang. With a sigh and a verbal assurance that she would get it. She left the room and went into the entrance hall. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of two men. One was skinny middle-aged and mousy looking. With blond hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. The other one was much taller and struck an imposing figure with his broad shoulders, severe expression and eye patch.

"Can I help you?" She asked

"I hope so," said the smaller man looking rather flustered. "Is this the residence of Harry Potter?"

Serene narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Ah, I am sorry, but if you aren't Mr. Potter then-"

"Who is it Serene?" Harry Asked coming to the door. He took one look at the two and scowled.

"I don't care if it's a Dark Lord, giant meteor, or even a resurrected evil God. I'm not playing Hero for a bunch of idiots who keep making more problems than they fix anymore."

"You must be Harry, my Brother said you could be pretty shrewd." Said the imposing man.

Harry looked at him. "Director Nick Fury. Director of the Organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D., you also happen to be the younger brother of Kingsley Shacklebolt. The present Minister of Magic for Britain."

Fury's lip twitched slightly. "Not bad, but can you name him?" He asked gesturing to his companion.

"I don't need to," Harry said scowling, if possible, even harder at the smaller of the two. "Pale, physically weak, has a touch of arrogance that comes with growing up with magic at his disposal. He carries his wand in a poorly concealed waist holster, a sure sign he's never had a serious duel in his life. And he has a magical pin prominently displayed on the lapel of his jacket." Harry said picking the man apart. "Obviously, he's someone from the ICW, most likely a mid-level office worker. Someone chosen that wouldn't make it seem as though they were insulting me by sending me a nobody, but not so valued that he would be missed if something happened to go wrong during the search for me." He finished crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "How am I doing so far?"

The Wizard looked like he had swallowed a lemon whole. But Fury was just trying not to laugh.

"I'd say you hit the nail on the head." Fury responded. Oh, he was going to like this guy.

"M-My name is Nathaniel Martinez, I am a representative of the ICW, m-may we please speak?" The Wizard spoke looking half terrified, half furious.

Harry shrugged and sighed. "I suppose I can't just ignore you. Come in, but this by no means, means that I'm agreeing to anything." Harry said evenly.

Harry led them back into the living room where the coffee table was still covered with baby shopping catalogs. Martinez looked like he wanted to comment, but as soon as he saw Harry and Serene's faces, he thought better of it.

Harry reclaimed his place on the couch with Serene and gestured for them to sit in the two comfy chairs he had in the room.

"Right," Martinez began pulling out a Manila folder from his coat. " , we are here on behalf of ICW and the WSC respectively. I'm not sure if you-"

"The World Security Council. An international government-funded shadow organization founded by international politicians of different political super powers. It's in charge of overseeing the safety of the planet from threats both on and off its surface." Harry said cutting him off.

"Um, yes well." Martinez cleared his throat before continuing. "Both bodies would like to offer you a proposal."

Harry said nothing waiting for him to get to the point.

"Basically Potter," Fury said stepping in, now just as fed up with the mousy wimp as Harry. "The ICW has come to realize that they can't handle Dark Lords like Voldemort and Grindelwald on their own while maintaining the Statue of Secrecy." He explained, noting that Harry was listening to him. "The WSC also recognizes what a threat these 'Dark Lords' that always seem to pop up are. So they decided they wanted to found a new Division titled W.A.N.D."

"Do I even _want_ to know?" Harry asked pinching his nose in frustration.

Fury smirked. "Wizarding Analysis & Negation Division. Originally it was a smaller department of SHIELD the Wizardry Alchemy Necromancy Department, but recently it was decided to make it its own separate entity."

"What exactly would I have to do?"

"It's actually simple, you would be in charge of the Statute of Secrecy, meaning that you would have full authority over its enforcement and amendments." Martinez chimed in, happy that Harry seemed to be considering it.

"You would also be in charge of dealing with Dark Lords like Grindelwald and Voldemort, as well as handling the restriction of any magical artifacts or knowledge that could be potentially dangerous to the entire Planet population." Fury continued eyeing Martinez with his one good eye.

Harry hummed in thought as he accepted the folder handed to him. Inside was the contract for the position of Director. He skimmed over the part about payment, he didn't really care about that. The section pertaining to the Statute was interesting. Apparently, he would be able to grant waivers to people to allow them to tell others. Another interesting bit was that he'd have full autonomy over staffing. That was always good to have. There were a few minor restrictions, but they were just that, minor. Things like having to aid SWORD and SHIELD in serious situations. Or must provide advisors to either department or a government body on a moment's notice. This contract gave him far too much authority for it to sit well with him.

"Tell me, Fury, have you read this?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I have, and I had the same concerns as you. But remember the ICW and WSC are two separate bodies. They can't both have authority over you at the same time for the same things."

"Ah, so it's an oversight on their part, is it? Or perhaps," he said turning back to Martinez "The seven Sisters had a vision?"

Fury looked confused and glanced at Martinez who had gone pale.

"I figured, no way those idiotic bureaucrats would ever give me this much freedom unless something scared the shit out of them," Harry said before turning to Fury once more.

"The Seven Sisters are a group of powerful and skilled seers who have learned to pool their abilities together to gain more detailed visions of the future. Typically, the visions they have are useless or unavoidable. Showing minor conflicts or wars that can't be stopped. However, some of their visions do show conflicting futures. That's why the ICW never got involved with the Voldemort issue. If they had, he would have gained even more power than Grindelwald at his peak."

"I was not made aware of this." Fury said scowling at Martinez.

"They don't like to advertise it much," Harry explained. "People always want to change the future for the better, but since you typically can't change what's seen in the visions. It tends to just make things worse. I only know about it because Dumbledore's portrait in Hogwarts felt like being particularly chatty one day." He explained, noting how Martinez was even more pale than before.

Dumbledore had explained that, before he had become a part of the ICW, they had relied so heavily on the Seven Sisters visions, that nothing ever got done. He was the one who set the new rules that made it, so they were only ever able to use the visions once a year, or if another potential Grindelwald appeared. The Seven Sisters weren't even all women. They had changed out many times over the years as they either passed or became too old to help in the pooling of power. But the first group had been made up of Seven women who claimed to be Sisters, and so the name had stuck.

"I take it then that you'll be accepting the position then?" Martinez asked nervously.

Harry sighed, "I hate Divination, there are just too many unknowns involved." he said even as he reached for the pen. "But if there's one thing I know, it's that it only takes one idiot with a wand to believe in it to make it come true."

Harry signed on the dotted line and was immediately handed another several folders.

"Excellent, well I'll just be on my way then." Martinez said and made a hasty retreat out of the house. Fury, on the other hand, lingered a bit.

"Was there something else Director?" Harry asked already tired if this crap.

"Two things actually. First off, I wanted to give you a heads up that Pandora Peters, the former Director of WAND, isn't happy about losing her position to you." he said. Pandora was an excellent Agent. She would undoubtedly be an asset to Harry once he started taking on his duties as Director. But, as was expected, she did not take to the idea of her being essentially demoted and replaced by someone half her age.

"Duly noted, and the other thing?" Harry couldn't blame her for being upset. He'd probably be livid if their roles were reversed.

"Fair warning," Fury began with a slight smirk. "Captain Steve Rogers will most likely be stopping by soon. If we were able to find you. He certainly will."

Harry groaned much to Fury's amusement.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Reunited

Steve took a deep breath as he looked at the house that was next on his list. In truth, it was more of a mansion than a house. Three stories high with a brick and wood finish that gave it an old-world feel. You couldn't easily see it from the street, it was set too far back. On the side, where he assumed you could once get a decent look of the house, now had tall privacy fencing blocking your view.

 _This has to be the place. Please tell me this is the place._ He thought desperately. He had been checking different houses that were bought around between two years and a year and a half ago for the past week. Every time he thought he was getting close, he had struck out. He just prayed that he would get lucky this time.

Taking a moment to center himself, he made his way up to the front door. Even the door seemed to ooze history. Made of old weathered dark oak with a tiny stained-glass window. Reaching over to the side of the doorframe, he rang the bell and waited. But no one answered. He wondered idly if perhaps they weren't home. This then led to another thought that had been haunting him lately. What if Harry had already moved somewhere else? He shook that thought away and reinforced his determination. He was going to find Harry. Even if it took him forever. He was just about to try again when a voice nearly startled him out of his skin.

"Can I help you?" it was a woman.

She was wearing brown overall slacks and an off-white sweatshirt. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. It looked as though she had been gardening if the dirt on her face and the gloves she wore on her hands were any indication. Perhaps there was a greenhouse on the property. It was still too cold out to be doing yard work.

"Um, yes, maybe…do- do you live here?" he asked awkwardly as he tried to calm his racing heart.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He thought. He had been a little too jumpy for his liking recently.

"For the moment, yes. Did you need something?"

"Well umm, this might be a dumb question. But does a Harry Potter live here by chance?"

She scrutinized him for a second, looking him up and down. Almost as if she were going through a mental checklist. "What was the name of the Bar where you first met him?" she finally asked.

"Wha- It was Mauds' Place I think…" he said. Truth be told, he had only gone back there once after that night. And that was just to see if Mitch new how to contact Harry. Sufficed to say, he didn't.

The woman smiled as she came over taking off her gloves as she went. "Sorry about that. I'm Serene, Harry's personal healer." She introduced herself, holding out her now bare hand.

"Nice to meet you." He said a little more relaxed, taking the hand that was offered but stiffened when he realized what she had said. "Wait, a Healer? As in a Doctor? Is Harry alright? Is he sick or-"

"Whoa whoa, calm down there Casanova. Harry is just fine. His life isn't in any kind of danger. I'm just here as a precaution, that's all." She reassured

 _These boys are gonna be the death of me._

Steve sighed in relief. "Sorry about that, is he here?" He asked hopeful that his search was over. Finally, he had found him. He was beginning to wonder if he ever would. Although, he did find it somewhat strange that this woman didn't seem all that surprised to see him. Had they somehow known he was coming. Was that a thing wizards could do? He was pulled from his thoughts as she answered.

"He is, I think he's reading in the Library right now. Come on, I'll show ya'." She said leading him up the front steps and into the house.

Although the outside of the house had what could only be called an aged appearance, the inside was remarkably modern. The furniture all looked new, both in terms of use and style. It also looked like certain parts of the house itself had been renovated recently. As they moved through the house, he couldn't help the feeling that the house seemed a lot bigger than it should have been.

"Just so you know," Serene said as they continued walking. "and don't tell Harry I told you this, but I'm pretty sure Harry didn't actually want to leave. I think he felt like he didn't have a choice at the time."

"That doesn't matter to me. I just want to see him." Steve said with conviction, missing the inquisitive look Serene gained at his words.

 _Well, this is an interesting development. I wonder…_ She thought to herself

"Well here we are," she said gesturing to a closed set of double doors. "one last thing, keep an open mind in there, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will." He responded. He already knew Harry was a Wizard, what else could there possibly be that could shock him more than that?

Stepping into the room, he saw Harry sitting at a desk. He had a pen stuck behind his ear and his glasses had slid so far down his nose, that they could fall off at any moment. Steve actually found the sight was rather adorable and wished he had a camera. Though, he was pretty sure Harry would kill him if he took a picture of him at that moment.

"Hey Serene, do you mind getting Chinese tonight? I'm having a craving for Shrimp Lo-Mein." Harry said not bothering to look up from his reading.

Steve smirked. "Sounds tasty," he said.

Harry was so startled that he fell backward out of his chair. "Steve!" he exclaimed, utterly shocked.

"You know, I can't really tell if you're happy to see me or not," Steve said, trying to come across as worried, but the smile stayed on his face. That is until he saw a tear trail its way down Harry's face, that gave him pause.

"I'm so sorry for leaving like I did. I did-" Harry tried but choked on a sob.

"Hey, calm down," Steve said coming forward to try and comfort him. He could be wrong, but Harry didn't seem the type to cry easily.

"God, I'm sorry. My hormones are all over the place right now." Harry said wiping his face on the sleeve of his jumper. It was one of the many that Molly Weasley used to make for him every Christmas.

"What, are you pregnant or something?" Steve asked trying to cheer him up with a joke, but when he felt the other man stiffen beneath his hands his brows knit together in worry. "Harry?"

"Umm, Surprise?" Harry said turning slightly to face him more fully, allowing Steve to see the tiny baby bump that was there. He hadn't been able to see it before because of the desk, and then because of Harry's position.

Steve summarily fainted.

-oOlllOo-

"Honestly, you couldn't have come up with a better way of telling him than just saying ' _surprise'_?" Serene scolded for the fifth time since Harry had called her into the Library to check on Steve.

"It just slipped out, he made a bad joke about me being pregnant and, well," Harry said gesturing helplessly as he continued to cradle Steve's head in his lap.

"Men! The lot of you make me think I'd be better off a Lesbian!" Serene said tucking her wand away. "He'll be fine, but no more jumping the gun like that. Got it?"

"Yes mam',"

"And don't call me mam'!" she said frustrated. "I'm ordering takeout, when he wakes up, bring him downstairs."

"Yes Sir!" Harry said with a mock salute.

Serene narrowed her eyes at him. "No one likes a wise ass Harry."

"But everyone likes a fine ass." He countered with a cheeky smile

She rolled her eyes and left the two of them alone.

Harry looked down at Steve's sleeping face and idly combed his fingers through his blonde hair. He couldn't help but to wonder how things might have turned out, had he stayed that morning. If he had simply said to hell with it and done what he wanted, but no. No, Harry could never be the one to be selfish, others had to be selfish for him. That's just how he was.

His hand stilled when Steve moaned a little and moved his head into his touch.

"That feels nice…" he mumbled

Harry smiled and continued doing it. "I am sorry for leaving," Harry said, more calmly now. "at the time, I honestly didn't know what else to do. If the papers had found out I was in a relationship with you, or even that I had just slept with you…" he shivered at the very thought of that nightmare. "I was going to go back and find you, explain everything to you, but then I found out I was pregnant and… I panicked. How was I supposed to explain that to you when _I'm_ not even sure how it happened?"

"So that wasn't a dream…" Steve said opening his eyes and looking up at Harry. "You're pregnant." It wasn't a question.

Harry swallowed and nodded.

"Is that something all Wizards can do?" Steve asked.

"No, it- Hang on, how did you know I was a Wizard?" Harry asked with his eyes blown wide in surprise.

"I tracked you to the UK. I met with this woman named Hermione, I don't mind telling you, she was God Damned terrifying." Steve explained.

Harry closed his eyes to center himself. He hadn't spoken to anyone back home in ages, a fact that always bothered him whenever it came up.

"She told you about magic?"

"Nothing too specific, but she covered the essentials. Well, after she had me sign a contract that would kill me if I abused the information."

"She what? And you signed it!? Are you a fucking idiot!?" Harry shouted smacking him upside the head which forced him to sit up. "Do you have any ungodly Idea how fucking dangerous magical contracts are? People literally **die** Steve! And not because they wanted to break the contract either. One little mistake, that all it takes, and it could _kill_ you Steve!"

"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to find you."

"Well, congratu-fucking-lations Steve! Ya' found me. And now I have to figure out what that contract said so I can get you out of it!" He yelled, he may have looked furious, but in truth, he was panicking. He had just gotten Steve back. His baby had a chance to grow up with _both_ of its parents. And now he could lose him again because of his own stupidity.

"Well, I still have your Cousins number. He's the one who set up the meeting with her. Maybe he can help?" Steve offered.

"Wait, Dudley? Oh, please don't tell me you spoke to Vernon and Petunia." Harry groaned.

"They were the only real lead I had at the time," Steve explained sheepishly.

"I apologize for anything they may have said or done," Harry said, positively mortified. "Can I see his number please?"

Steve dug around in his pocket until he pulled out his wallet and found the right slip of paper therein.

Harry looked at the clock on the wall and shook his head. "Never mind, it's too late to call him now. I'll call first thing in the morning." Harry said with a sigh. It was so easy to forget the time difference when you didn't talk to people. "Come on. Serene is getting takeout and I'm starving." He said standing up and holding out a hand to Steve.

-oOlllOo-

Hermione smiled as she took a sip from her teacup. She was sat on her sofa, watching as her fiancé had a mini nervous breakdown trying to figure out how to change his niece. They, and by that she really meant she, had offered to take Victoire for the day so that her parents could have some much-needed alone time.

"Ronald, calm down. It's just a dirty nappy." She said amused at his panic-stricken face. "You'll have to get used to changing them sooner or later." She said with a pointed look.

They had known for about a month now that she was pregnant, and she was barely showing.

"Well then you come down here and do it if you're so clever." Ron snapped halfheartedly.

"I can't right now, that is unless you _want_ me to be sick all over the baby?" She said placing a hand over her stomach. She laughed as Ron went back to changing the soiled nappy grumbling about pregnant wives who were too smart.

She was just contemplating having another cup of tea when the phone rang. She had discovered these magical phones in a thrift shop one day. They weren't horribly popular at the moment, but they allowed her to more easily stay in touch with her parents. Standing up, she went into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Granger?" came a familiar masculine voice.

"Oh, hello Dudley, is something the matter?" she asked noting the slight nervousness in his voice.

"I don't know what you did to make him angry, but I'm washing my hands of it as of now." He said earnestly.

"What are you talking about?" She asked now very serious.

"Harry! He just called me absolutely furious that you had that Steve guy sign some kind of contract or something!" He practically shouted in his panic.

Hermione blinked and then chuckled a bit. "Oh, is that all?"

"All? Granger, I'll be honest with you. I've always been a little afraid of him, but this is the first time in my life that I wanted to run away and hide from him. and I wasn't even the one he was **mad** at!"

"Alright alright, calm down Dudley. Can I assume he gave you a number that I can call him at? And actually, why didn't you just give him my number?" she asked confused.

She could hear him grinding his teeth through the phone. "Because unlike _Some people_ I could mention, **I** like to give fair warning when a storm is coming their way." He said, but then told her the number to call, and warned her that he may very well start yelling off the bat.

Hermione ended the call with her reassurance that she could handle Harry and that his anger was directed at her, not him. it was strange to think that she woukd be reassuring Dudley of all people. she shrugged, then wearing a happy smile, she made her way back into the Living room where Ron had just finished putting the new nappy on his baby niece.

"I have good news, my plan worked!" she practically chirped.

"This being the Plan you keep talking about, but won't actually tell me anything about? That plan?" he asked with a raised eyebrow that was oddly reminiscent of their old potions professor.

"That's the one."

"Honey, you're being a little crazy right now. What exactly did you do that's going to cause Harry to get back in contact with us?"

"Ah, now that would be telling."

" 'Mione!"

"Sorry, Ronald. But could you take Victoire upstairs for a bit? I have a feeling this conversation may get a bit loud, and I don't want to startle her."

Ron Paled. "Seriously! What did you do Woman?" Ron asked even as he packed up his Niece's Diaper bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"What I had to, Now move it buster." She said going back into the kitchen.

As soon as she heard him reach the top of the stairs, she picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang only three times before a voice picked up with a curious "Hello,"

"Harry?" Hermione asked. The voice had sounded feminine

"Ah, no. I'm his Healer. Give me a second." She said and there was a slight click followed by the sound of footsteps walking away.

As she waited, she decided to put a fresh kettle on. No sooner had she set the water to heat up, then did she hear the sound of rushing feet followed by the sound of a very familiar Voice.

"Hermione?"

"Hello, Harry. How are you?"

"Hermione, you have exactly 30 seconds to explain to me why you bound Steve with a Contract before I come over there and haul your ass to court!" Harry growled out.

"Oh, I'm well Harry thanks for asking." She responded as though they were just having a normal conversation.

"Hermione! I'm serious!"

"And so am I Harry Potter!" She snapped back. "You just disappeared one day with nary a word to anyone. You don't call or write for almost two years. TWO YEARS Harry! Ronald and I spent more than a few nights without sleep wondering when we were going to be called in to identify your body! So, You want to yell at me for baiting you into contacting me? Get over it!"

"Wait, you used a magical contract just to get me to call you?"

"Harry, I know you can be slow, but you're approaching Crabbe & Goyle levels of stupid," Hermione said shaking her head in exasperation. "There is no magical contract. It was a piece of parchment with a couple low-grade illusion charms on it, followed by a mild stinging hex to the back of his hand and weak compulsion to not say anything. It was just a setup to get you to call me. I know your saving people thing would kick in if you thought he was under a magical contract. Did you actually think that I would use one of those things on a muggle?"

"…"

"Harry?"

"I'm a fucking idiot, aren't I?"

"You said it, not me."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Discovery**

"So, I'm not under the effects of a Magical Contract?" Steve asked over the table where he, Serene and Harry were eating lunch.

"No, thank Merlin." Harry said taking another bite out of his third sandwich so far. "Hermione, I'm sorry to say, can be too clever for her own good sometimes. She made you think that you had signed a Magical Contract, when in fact you just wrote your name down on a blank piece of parchment." He explained shaking his head.

"But, why though? I mean, wouldn't using an actual contract be more secure than lying about a fake one?" Steve asked which earned a laugh from Harry.

"Security was not her concern," he said pushing his plate away now done eating. "I'm sorry to tell you this Steve, but you were just used as a tool to get me to call home."

"But, she said that I signed it in blood!"

Harry snorted. "Red ink and a mild stinging hex. Toss in a couple compulsion charms to increase your trepidation of her and your belief in the Contract and boom." Harry said clapping his hands together.

Steve scowled down at his own sandwich in thought. "Magic is scary." He finally said, allowing his features to relax into a more relieved expression.

"Everything is scary when you first discover it." Serene said, sorting through a bag to find Harry's next potion.

"Magic can be scary," Harry agreed, "but it can also be wonderful. At the end of the day, magic itself is neither good nor is it evil. It is we who wield it that determines its use." Harry continued accepting the potion when it was handed to him.

"You mean that it's a tool?"

" **NO**!" Both Serene and Harry snapped causing Steve to hold his hands up in surrender.

"No," Harry repeated more calmly. "Magic is...complicated. It's like having a constant companion that will never refuse your request."

"You mean it's alive?"

"In a way," Harry said downing the potion in one go and grimacing at the taste. "Our wands are a good example of how magic works. Our wands are what you would call 'quasi-sentient'. Their not really capable of conscious thought, but they do have some sense of self, and therefore, what they should seek in a wielder."

"This all seems kind of complicated, how do you remember all this stuff?" Steve asked having a sip of his orange juice. Serene had forbidden any form of alcohol in the house until after the baby was born.

"Well, I can't speak for American wizards and witches. But we Brits begin our schooling at eleven and attend school for seven years."

Serene nodded. "It's the same for us. In fact, Ilvermorny is based off Hogwarts. Only better."

Harry snorted. "I think that you'll find that the thousand-year-old school that has lived through multiple wars, famine, and plague, is the better of the two."

Serene scoffed, "That says more about the castle than the institution. And besides, older doesn't equate to better." Serene said mock snobbishly.

"Well, we can agree on that much at least. Although," Harry said gaining a thoughtful expression. "Uagadou has everyone beat in terms of size, history, and graduation rate."

Serene sighed in agreement

"Just how many schools are there?" Steve asked curiously and amused by the two of them.

"That's can be rather difficult to answer." Serene said.

"There are actually a lot of magic schools all over the world, but the ones we've been talking about are all members of the Prestigious Eleven," Harry explained.

"That's a mouthful, we just call them the Great Eleven here," Serene said with an amused smile.

"And what's so special about those schools?" Steve asked before the two could dissolve into more banter.

"The Great Eleven schools, that is a lot easier to say by the way, are the oldest and, in most cases, largest schools in the world. Hogwarts, for example, was Founded in 983 AD by the four strongest wizards and witches of the time, I believe the record for the number of students in attendance at once is somewhere around 4000 " Harry explained.

Serene nodded. "No one really knows when Ilvermorny was founded exactly, since the school itself actually older than the castle it's housed in. But the best estimate puts it at around 1622. And our record is 2587 students"

Steve whistled impressed, those were some old institutions. He was pretty sure there weren't any non-magical schools that old.

"Well, as much fun as this little history lesson has been boy's, I'm afraid I have other things to do today. Steve, I'm sure I can trust you to keep an eye on this pain the neck." She asked looking at the blonde.

Steve nodded with a smile and moved to start cleaning off the table.

"Ah, allow me." Harry said before snapping his fingers.

As soon as he did, all the plates and remaining food floated into the air and began making their way into the kitchen.

"Okay, I'm leaving, Don't do anything I wouldn't do boys." Serene called as she walked out of the room.

"That's a fairly short list." Harry muttered.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than did one of the remaining sandwiches come sailing back into the room to smack him square in the face.

"Oh come on! How could you hear that?" Harry called out receiving only laughter as an answer.

Steve watched as Harry shook his head in amusement and sent the sandwich back to the kitchen. They hadn't actually talked about things yet. Last night's dinner had been quiet and subdued, with Serene playing the intermediary between them. Afterword's, Harry had shown him to a guest room and then just left without a word. Then this morning, Steve had tried to corner him in the Greenhouse out back, but Serene had come in and told them that there was a British woman on the magic Line, looking for Harry. He had gone into the room and locked the door for hours. When he finally did come out, he was all smiles and sunshine again. Steve sincerely hoped this wasn't an indication of how things normally were with him. Because he was going to get whiplash at this rate.

"Harry," he began hesitantly. "We need to talk."

Harry sighed wearily. "I don't suppose we could just skip the awkward conversation and cuddle up on the sofa?" Harry offered, which got a smile out of Steve.

"That does sound nice, but we can't skip this conversation, Harry. We need to talk about this."

"And what This are you referring to exactly?" Harry asked crossing his arms. "The fact that I'm a wizard, the fact that I'm an asshole who left you alone with nothing but a note, or the fact that I'm pregnant with your child?"

"So it is mine?"

"Just what kind of guy do you think I am exactly?" Harry asked rightly scandalized. "I have only ever allowed one man to enter me, and that's you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way, I promise." Steve apologized, shaking his head to clear it. "but this is a lot to take in, there's also, well…" he trailed off gesturing feebly in the air.

"What?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, don't you find it kind of weird. We barely know each other, and yet despite that, I feel drawn to you, emotionally, spiritually… sexually… I was attracted to you right from the start and I don't understand why." Steve explained.

"Harry scowled in thought but nodded in agreement. "I agree, on all counts. Our attraction towards one another is somewhat… out of the ordinary." Harry said. "Sadly, I have no answer. I know that I don't have any hexes or charms on me. And, before I was pregnant, I was doing weekly potion cleanses. So, the possibility of outside influence is a moot point."

"So, you think it's just us?" Steve asked hesitantly.

"Dear Merlin, I hope so, because the thought of there being a power out there capable of pulling off manipulations like this without being caught is just horrifying," Harry said exasperatedly.

The two shared a look for a moment before matching smiles grew on there faces.

"I think we should have that cuddle now."

-oOlllOo-

Serene bit her lip as her fingers trailed over the spines of the many books in the Medical Archives. She had been researching how Harry could possibly have become pregnant for a while now, but was still coming up with bupkis. She thought that perhaps there had to be some record of a similar occurrence happening before, but the Archives were huge, and she was only one person.

"Back again I see," said the Voice of the Archive Keeper Albert Langstern.

She turned with a smile to the old man. He wore old styled wizard robes that dragged on the ground. And although his hair was just as long as his robes, the man never grew a beard. He always claimed them to be 'filthy, itchy things'.

"Albert, it's good to see you again." she greeted happily. Albert was a kind old man, very much a grandfatherly figure.

"What are you researching that you've been in here so much?" he asked curiously. "Not that I mind the company, but you're a young woman, you should be out enjoying life. Not staying in here collecting dust with likes of me."

She chuckled. "I'm still having trouble finding information to help with my patient," she explained.

Albert raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "I see, and what is it you are searching for?"

She bit her lip again. Her oath forbid her from revealing any details of her patients to others barring an emergency. She had to be careful about how she worded her response.

"It's, a male pregnancy case," she explained. "But there are some…. Inconsistencies involved."

He looked curious. "Inconsistencies hmm? I seem to recall someone else proclaiming something similar about 80 years ago…" he trailed off in thought.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Hmm, yes… a most curious case if I remember, I believe it was a case between a witch and a non-magical woman having a child… now where did I put that file…" he muttered as he moved ahead of her down the stacks.

They walked for what felt like 20 minutes before they came to a ladder. Albert climbed his way up, making her bite her nails in worry. Then a moment ladder he announced his triumph and slid back down to the ground.

"Here it is. The pregnancy of Leodora Madrea," he said opening the file so she could see. "It was a curious case to be sure, Leodora was in a highly controversial relationship with a no-maj named Victoria at the time that she discovered she was pregnant. No one believed it could have come from her partner, as she was a no-maj, it shouldn't have been possible," he explained showing her a picture of Leodora and another woman she assumed was Victoria holding a Baby between them.

"So what happened?"

"The attending Healer was requested to perform a Paternity test on the child. In an amazing twist, the woman was the other Parent."

"But how is that possible?" she asked urgently 'this is it!'

"Ah, here's where things get tricky you see," he said turning a page full of all sorts of notes. "As it turns out, her no-maj partner was actually a Squib. A cast off of a pureblood line, who was later adopted by no-maj's."

"But that still doesn't explain anything. Even if she were a squib, Squibs don't have enough magic to sire a child in someone of the same gender."

Albert nodded along with her in agreement. "Yes, you would normally be right. Except, Leodora had failed to mention until later that the two of them had completed a successful soul bond ceremony."

Serene's eyes widened. "They were soul mates?"

"Romantic isn't it? Under ordinary circumstances, the two would never have been able to conceive. And yet, love always finds a way." Albert said turning back to the picture.

Serene looked at the file and smiled herself. Then her eyes widened when she saw the document under the picture.

It was a copy of the birth certificate it read,

Mother/Bearer of Child: Leodora A. Madrea.

Father/Sire of Child: Victoria L. Madrea nee, Constance

Name of the Child: Alexander Oswald Constance Madrea.

Attending physician/Healer: Albert N. Langstern

Albert had been the Healer who had delivered the baby. She looked up at the old man who was smiling at her knowingly.

"There is always an answer my Dear, you simply need to keep looking until you find it."

She hugged him tightly in thanks and ran out of the Archives to go tell the boys what she had discovered. Leaving behind a smiling, waving old man in her wake.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Getting to know you**

Harry and Steve were laying on the sofa together in Harry's basement living room. There were times Harry thought that maybe his house was a little too big for him. But most of the time he just couldn't bring himself to care. Like at that moment as he lay on top of Steve with his head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, as Steve rubbed his back in soothing circles. Yes, Harry just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. That is of course until he noticed a tiny problem in his pants.

 _Oh god, this is awkward. Do I move? No, he'll definitely notice if I move. Ugg, but it's so uncomfortable and his rubbing is making it worse!_ He thought to himself desperately. He couldn't help but fidget a bit, which of course, led to Steve gaining a similar problem. The difference being, Harry could feel Steve's. He looked up at the soldier with wide eyes to see him blushing furiously.

"It's umm, you were moving, and it was kind of under you and…" He tried to explain it away, but Harry didn't really care. He now had an itch, and Merlin be damned, Steve was gonna scratch it.

( **SMUT WARNING** )

With a wicked smirk, Harry slowly made his way down Steve's torso, ignoring the man's quiet calls of his name. he allowed one of his hands to travel up under Steve's shirt to feel the hot bare skin underneath. His other hand began cupping the bulge that had appeared, moving it this way and that, experimentally, but also gently. Steve's breathing became heavier, but he didn't protest Harry's actions.

Harry smiled and pulled his hand out of Steve's shirt to begin undoing his fly. The belt, he found, was a lot more difficult to remove when it was on someone else. Despite that, he still managed to open his pants to reveal Steve's plain white boxers with the very tip of his cock pointing out over the waistline. Harry wasn't about to waste any more time. He leaned forward and took the tip into his mouth, sucking lightly to pull the rest of the member free of its cotton prison.

Steve's breath hitched as his cock was pulled into the hot wet heat that was Harry's mouth. It took everything he had not to thrust into his throat. Harry continued to suck lightly, tonguing at the head in his mouth as his hands began shimmying Steve's pants down over his hips. His nails lightly raked against flesh as Steve arched his back slightly to make the removal easier. Once he had successfully removed the pants, he came off of Steve with a pop and idly made his way back up Steve's body. He pushed the shirt up to his neck and took some time to suck on Steve's nipples. As he nibbled on the pert little buds, His hand began to work Steve's cock, even as he continued his work on the man's chest.

Steve was breathing heavily, he had no idea that his nipples could be that sensitive. He finally allowed one of his hands to wonder over Harry's body, feeling it through the fabric of his clothing. But he had to pull it back as Harry pushed his shirt even higher with the intention of removing it. Once Steve was completely exposed, Harry moved with the intention of returning to his work. But Steve had other ideas. He had laid there idly and allowed Harry to have his way for quite long enough.

Wrapping his arms around Harry and pulling him against his body, Steve flipped them over so that he was on top. Not giving Harry a chance to recover, he began kissing him furiously. His right-hand wasted no time and dove beneath the waistline of Harry's jeans to grasp at the hard cock within. He heard Harry moan into the kiss as he squeezed gently, idly pulling on it just enough to make his intention clear, but not enough to hurt. His Left hand traveled under Harry's shirt and returned the favor of nipple play. Harry easily submitted to all of it, his hands caressing the bulging biceps the pinned him.

The two were all tongues and teeth as Steve began undoing Harry's fly. Unlike Harry, who had taken his time to remove Steve's clothing, Steve wasn't as patient. In one swift move, he stripped Harry of his pants and underwear and practically dove onto the hard-leaking cock that was presented to him. He felt Harry's Hands tangle into his hair as he sucked Hard on Harry, Taking him as deep as he could without gagging. He listened to the moans the smaller man was releasing and allowed them to egg him on. He felt one of Harry's hands leave his head to take one of his own and then led it to his rear.

Understanding what he wanted, he came off of Harry's cock long enough to spit into his hand, before returning to his oral work. His now spit covered hand began lathering it into Harry's puckering hole. A single finger slowly began to edge it's way inside. He knew Harry was enjoying it when he lifted his legs around Steve's head to grant him better access. Steve continued like this until he felt Harry's thighs stiffen and his hips thrust upwards, seemingly against their will. He knew what was coming, and he was ready. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he took Harry to the hilt, burying his nose in course curls. His now two fingers that had been scissoring in Harry's hole, now plowed deep to hit a tiny node of muscle he had noticed earlier.

It was too much for Harry, as he came down Steve's throat with a silent scream. Then he fell limp, Steve gently still pumping his cock to get the last few drops free. The taller man moved as though he were going to put on his clothes, but Harry wasn't done yet. He waved his hand and wandlessly summoned him back to the sofa where he then wrapped his legs around his waist.

"We're not done here," Harry said letting his hand rest on Steve's chest.

Steve, somehow recognizing that he wasn't going to convince him to rest, angled his still hard cock into Harry's entrance. Harry groaned as he felt the huge member stretch his hole. He shifted his weight, so he could plant it more firmly within himself. Steve started slow and shallow. Wanting Harry to become accustomed to him. Their first time together was a blur, and he wanted to remember all that they did this time. But despite his desire to ride it out. Harry wasn't having any of it. He met Steve's thrusts easily, forcing the man to fully plant himself in Harry's tight heat. It wasn't long before he couldn't take it anymore and with a shout of Harry's name. he came deep within him. Harry for his part revealed in the feeling of being filled, and the moment he felt that hot seed coat his insides, he came once again coating his stomach with his own seed.

(SMUT WARNING END)

The two of them lay there, naked and panting, both thoroughly spent.

"Harry, That was-" Steve began but was interrupted by a familiar, and at that moment, unwelcomed voice.

"If you two are done fucking each other's brains out, then come upstairs. I have news for you." Serene called from the top of the stairs, before walking away, presumably to give them time to dress.

The two men looked at each other and laughed.

"You know, if I wasn't so spent right now, I'd say we go another round. Just to spite her." Harry said cleaning them both off with a snap of his fingers.

Steve nodded with an amused grin. "Harry, I want to thank you." He said as he handed Harry his clothes.

"Thank me?"

"Yes," Steve said earnestly, ignoring that they were both naked for the moment and taking Harry's free hand in his. "I don't actually remember much from that night. I've had dreams, but I don't know what was real and what was just my mind fantasizing. I want to thank you for giving me something more concrete to remember."

Harry snorted amused and embarrassed. "Geez Steve, you make it sound like it was your first time." He said looking away to try and get himself dressed.

"It was," Steve said honestly.

Harry's expression looked horrified as he quickly turned back to him to see if he was joking.

"Oh my god. I feel like such an asshole!" Harry exclaimed looking completely guilty and remorseful.

Steve came over and pulled him into his arms. "Don't," he said quietly. "I might not remember much, but I do know that I didn't regret anything that we did that night, and I still don't."

"Steve," Harry said quietly looking up at the bigger man.

"Seriously! Get up here, or I'm coming down their whether you're decent or not!" Serene called once more.

Harry scowled and stepped away from Steve to call back. "Kinda having an important moment here Serene! Could you kindly shut your **trap**!?" He called back and received nothing but a very faint huff in answer.

He sighed and looked at Steve. "Steve, I have a lot of regrets about that night," he said and watched as Steve's face fell. "My biggest one wasn't sleeping with you, in fact, I think that was the one good thing that happened." He said and noticed how Steve perked back up. "But I do regret what happened to get us to that point. Your first time shouldn't have been in some cheap hotel, while in a drunken stupor with a guy you just met. Your first time is important, and it should be special. Not a quick fuck followed by the guy disappearing the next morning leaving nothing but a lousy note."

Steve looked like he was going to say something, but Harry cut him off. "I know you forgive me for that, but I haven't forgiven myself. You must understand Steve, I am easily scared of any form of commitment. Every person I have let into my life has hurt me, and I'm scared. I'm scared of getting hurt, of being left alone, I'm scared that one day I'm going to wake up and everyone I care about is going to realize their better off without me. And yes, I know it's stupid, but that's just how I feel." He explained watching as Steve deflated. Obviously, he didn't like the picture Harry had painted for him,

"So," Harry continued. "if you want to be with me, you need to understand what you're getting into. You have to accept me with all my flaws. And I will accept you for all of yours, whatever they may be." He offered.

Steve nodded and looked at the floor. "I was born July 4th 1920." Steve said causing Harry's eyes to widen. "I was a soldier during World War Two. In 1945, I stopped an attack from a rogue Nazi faction that wanted to win the war for themselves, but I ended up frozen for 90 years as a result. When I woke up, everyone I knew was dead and gone. The only person left was a woman named Peggy, who I thought I Fancied. But she's old now, she doesn't even remember who I am most days." He continued not looking at Harry. "I don't know what it is to have people walk out on you, because I don't have anyone left important enough to me that it would hurt. No one, except you." He said, turning to finally face Harry. "I have a lot of baggage, and I come from a time where this," he said gesturing between them. "Was heavily frowned upon. But when I'm with you, I don't care. When I'm with you I don't feel like an outsider, I Don't feel like I have to try to blend in or be the hero, I can just be me. So yes, I want to be with you, Harry. Flaws and all."

They stayed like that. Just looking at each other for a moment before Harry finally broke the silence.

"We're a mess, aren't we?"

Steve Smiled. "well, maybe we can help each other. Just a little at a time."

-oOlllOo-

Serene watched as the two finally came up the stairs. They were fully dressed, thankfully, though Steve's hair looked mussed, and Harry was walking with a slight limp. She scowled at that.

"Harrison James Potter! What have you done to yourself now?" she asked as she came forward towards Harry who was holding his hands up in surrender.

"Why are you yelling at me? He's the one who was on top?" he asked pointing at Steve who blushed.

Serene scoffed. "Because he's a big teddy bear, and I don't believe for a moment that you didn't instigate that little escapade." She said pointedly.

Harry Scowled, _Fuck! She knows me too well._ He thought disappointedly.

"Now get over there and sit on the couch so I can scan you." She said sternly.

Harry rolled his eyes but did as he was told. "It's just after sex pains, I had them the last time he and I did it too."

"You weren't pregnant then, Sex is fine Harry, but you have to be gentle, your pregnancy is far more delicate than an ordinary one." She scolded as she swished her wand over him.

"I have a question," Steve said raising his hand. "How come you need a wand to do magic, but Harry doesn't?"

Serene and Harry shared a look before Harry answered. "I'm quite a bit more powerful than the average wizard Steve. Most Wizards and Witches can learn to do magic wandlessly, but it takes time and a lot of practice. Even then, most can't do much more than what you've seen me do, which are almost all basic household and cleaning charms."

Serene nodded. "I can do a couple spells wandlessly if I concentrate hard enough, but it's just easier to use a wand. And I wouldn't ever attempt it with something as delicate as medical magics." She explained.

A moment later she sighed as a pink floating light appeared over Harry's head.

"Some minor tearing, nothing too dangerous thankfully. I can make a cream that will help." She said exasperated with him.

"Thanks, Serene, and I promise, no more Rough and Wild sex until after the baby is born," Harry said holding his hand up with his fingers split in a V shape.

Serene pinched her nose. "I know you're doing this on purpose Harry. First of all, I'm fairly certain you weren't ever a boy scout, second, that's not the Scout symbol. That's the hand gesture from Star Trek."

"Oops," he said unrepentantly

Serene sighed once more and took over one of the comfy chairs. "You might as well sit-down Steve, this concerns you as well." She said looking at him as he hadn't moved from the doorway.

Steve went over to the couch and sat next to Harry, who wasted no time in swinging his feet up into his lap. To his credit, Steve didn't even flinch. He simply wrapped a hand around them to keep them secure and allowed the other to rest on Harry's calf. Serene raised an eyebrow at this.

"Well, I'm happy to see things have progressed well in the, what, three hours I was gone?" she asked only earning a shrug from Harry.

"Well whatever," she said waving it off as unimportant for the moment. "I believe I may have found an answer to the mystery that is your Pregnancy Harry."

Harry looked at her surprised. "Really?"

"What mystery?" Steve asked worriedly.

"Normally," Serene began. "In order for a wizard to become pregnant, their partner has to have powerful magic of their own in order to supplement the change the body needs to go through. But in your case, you don't have magic." She explained.

Steve furrowed his brows in thought.

"And before you ask, yes, the baby is yours, I cast the spell myself to reveal the name of the Father. This then asks the question, how." She said pausing for dramatic effect. "I've been scouring the Archives in the NYC Magical Hospital for the past few weeks trying to find an answer. Then, earlier today, I found something. 80 years ago, a witch fell Pregnant to a No-maj, umm, someone who didn't have magic." She explained for Steve's benefit. "no one believed the baby was actually hers until the Healer performed the Paterneo Revelio charm that proved it. As it turns out, she was actually a squib." Serene said happily.

"A what now?"

"A Squib is a person born to magical parents, but who doesn't have enough magic themselves to cast spells. They can still see the magical world though." Harry explained for Steve, rubbing his foot against the man's stomach.

"Right, so part of my theory is that Steve here is actually a Squib." She said smiling.

Steve looked confused. "I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain neither of my parents were magical."

"Well, I still want to check, if that's okay?" Serene asked.

Steve sighed and nodded. She smiled and waved her wand at him in a complicated motion, but nothing happened. Scowling, she tried again, still nothing. "I don't get it, if he's not a Squib, then my theory is bogus." She said unhappily.

"It's okay Serene, you tried." Harry offered reassuringly, but Steve looked contemplative.

"Hey Serene?"

"Yes?"

"You said that I would have to have magic to get Harry pregnant, right?"

"That is correct yes." She said confused by where he was going with this.

"Well, does it have to be natural, or can it just be in my system?"

She thought about this for a moment. Even Harry looked confused. "Do you mean like a potion?" she asked.

"Like magical alcohol." Steve corrected making Harry's eyes widen in realization.

"You were drinking some of my fire whiskey!" Harry said in realization. Serene looked shocked.

"Right, I figured after I found out you were a wizard that it must have been magic. My body burns off normal alcohol too quickly for it to affect me." He explained.

Serene snapped her fingers. "That must be it! You had the magic from the fire whiskey in your system when Harry conceived, so his body absorbed the excess magic from the whiskey through you, creating an artificial transference." She said happily once again now that her theory wasn't shot yet.

"Okay, well, mystery solved then," Harry said happily as Steve began rubbing his foot.

"Ah, not quite." She said raising a finger to stall them. "There was one additional element that was needed for their pregnancy to occur. Even with the magic of a squib, it normally wouldn't be enough to create a pregnancy."

The boys both looked at her confused. "The final element that was needed. Is a naturally occurring Soul Bond." She explained.

Harry blinked. "Are you trying to tell me that Steve and I are soul mates?" he asked, his words causing Steve's hand to still.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Think about it! You two barely know each other, but you're practically joined at the hip. You've only ever had a one-night stand that ended with one of you running away, and here you are, having sexy time in the basement, and giving him a foot massage on the couch! Being soul mates would explain all of that!" she explained earnestly trying to will them to believe her.

Harry furrowed his brow in thought. It did explain a lot. The unusual immediate attraction. The physical need to be close, and the ability to relate to one another. He looked over at Steve who was already looking at him.

"What do you think of this?" Harry asked.

Steve blinked. "would it be too cheesy if I said I thought it was fate?"

Harry snorted. "Yes,"

"Oh, well I won't say that then." He said earning himself a laugh.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Lily**

Harry was lounging in his living room watching some cooking competition on the TV. On the coffee table in front of him were the remnants of a Dairy binge. At seven and a half months pregnant, he felt it was justified. His stomach was now distended to a point that all of his clothes had to be spelled to fit him. Steve had been very supportive…when he was available. SHIELD had decided that it was still too risky to have him live out of the compound he presently called home. Harry hadn't liked that, he had gone straight to Fury and informed him that either he allowed him to move in, or he would have an irate pregnant wizard living in one of their compounds. It seemed _that_ was a risk he wasn't willing to take. They eventually came to a compromise that once the baby was born, he would let Steve move in.

He was just debating if he should get something else to snack on when he felt the wards react to an intrusion. He took a moment to analyze the wards before he figured out that someone had tried to Apparate directly onto his property. Not an intelligent thing to do. Not even Serene had the ability to apparate onto the property. Resigning himself to having to look into it. He struggled to his feet and made his way out of the house.

It didn't take him long to find the source of the disturbance. It was on the far side of the back of his property, that he found a woman trapped in the web of his wards. She didn't look amused by this in the least. Harry realized she was wearing a uniform. The same one he had seen in the WAND files he had been receiving detailing his personnel. After he realized that, he quickly identified the woman as Pandora Peters, the previous Director for WAND.

"Well well, Miss Peters. This is a surprise. I do wish you had called ahead. This situation might have been avoided." He said allowing his amusement to show.

She could only glare, unable to actually speak or move whilst trapped as she was.

"Now now, no need to glare like that," He said waving his hand and allowing the wards to free her. "Tell me, Agent, what business would bring you to my doorstep? Or I suppose backyard would be more accurate." He said still highly amused. Had she honestly thought that he wouldn't have wards set up?

"Your file didn't make any mention of wards like that." She snapped.

"Whereas I have absolutely no idea how you would have come into possession of my file, and I'll not be entertaining any theories on that just yet. I would assume that whoever wrote it wasn't aware of my full ward network. It is quite complex after all."

She scowled but said nothing more as she cleaned herself of invisible dust.

"Director Potter, I came to find out just _when_ you will be assuming your _duties_." She said in a manner that was professional, while still being clear that she didn't like him.

Harry rubbed the back of his head. "Um, not sure if you noticed, but I'm a little…. well, pregnant at the moment. I won't be able to take on any _duties_ until well after the baby is born." He pointed out.

"Your personal life should have no bearing on the consistency of your work, _Sir._ " She said practically spitting the word.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Agent, if you have something to say-"

"I do not question my _orders_ , sir."

"And yet here you are, playing the passive aggressive role."

"I am only doing my _job_." She said with a sneer but yelped when she felt a stinging hex hit her thigh.

"That was a warning agent, I will not tolerate that attitude. Furthermore, this issue has already been discussed between my self and the WSC. If you have a pro-" but Harry was suddenly cut off by a sharp shooting pain shooting up his side. "GAH!" he exclaimed clutching his stomach.

"Sir?" Pandora asked, though this time there was obvious concern in her voice.

"I'm fine. I-I'm sure its nothin-" but he was cut off by another shooting pain followed by a very obvious wetness in his pants. Panic began to set in as he realized what was happening.

"no no no no! it's too early!" He said falling to his knees.

"Sir, what's happening?"

"The baby's coming." He said quietly causing the woman to pale.

"I'm gonna need you to take me back to the house and call some people for me." He said trying to calm his breathing.

To her credit, Pandora followed these orders to a 'T'. Using a levicorpus spell, she brought him smoothly and quickly back to the house. once there he told her to call Fury, he would be able to contact Serene and Steve more quickly than Pandora. While she was doing that, he banished his clothes and summoned a large blanket to cover himself. He could already feel the birth canal forming in the space between his testicles and hole. Things were happening quickly, and it was making him nervous. He tried to focus fully on his breathing to calm himself down.

"Sir," Pandora said coming back in the room. "Director Fury said that he would call the right people."

"Thank y-ARG!" he screamed as he felt a contraction hit.

 _No! the birth canal isn't fully formed yet! If the baby tries to come out now it could be bad._

"What can I do?" Pandora asked helplessly.

Harry could only shake his head as he fought through the pain. Sweet Merlin this was horrible. He was just about to ask for death when Serene and Steve came barreling through the door, followed closely by Fury.

"Harry, talk to me, what's happening?" Serene asked even as she waved her wand over him.

"The baby is coming," he panted out, "but the canal isn't wide enough yet!" Steve immediately fell next to him taking one of Harry's hands in his, in an attempt to offer comfort.

Serene closed her eyes in a silent plea for strength. "The baby is impatient huh? We have two options here Harry. Number one, I perform a Caesarean Section and remove the baby myself." She paused as he screamed and did his best to break the hand that was holding his desperately. "Or two, I dilate the Canal artificially and we deliver the baby that way."

"Which is…. Safer?" he panted

"The C-Section is safer for you overall, but your womb is magic. It has a higher risk for the baby. If I dilate you artificially, the baby will be born at minimal risk, but it could cause you serious damage." She explained.

Harry panted for a moment, but when another contraction hit him he screamed out the number two.

Serene wasted no time as she set to work casting the spells required. Steve, meanwhile, stayed next to Harry, trying to encourage him.

"It's okay baby, I swear you're going to be okay."

"Steve! If you say the word OKAY one more time-" He cut off as another pain ran through his body "FUCK! I swear to God Steve, you're bottoming from now on! I am not going through this again!"

"Anything you say, Harry." Steve agreed readily, he would agree to anything if he thought it would help.

"Don't Patronize me!"

Fury walked over to the corner of the room where Pandora Peters stood awkwardly watching everything unfold.

"Peters."

"Director,"

What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story." She said simply. No way was she going to say that she came here to bother her own Director.

For the next hour, they watched Harry as he continued to yell threaten and scream. All while Serene continued her work. When she finally got him to a point where he could push, the baby came quick. It took only two pushes and the room was filled with the cries of a newborn.

"Steve," she said holding up the tiny body to him, "Take your Daughter and get her cleaned up and weighed, would you? I need to wrap things up here."

Steve looked to Harry who tiredly nodded his head. Having gained confirmation that he was alright with it, Steve took hold of his slimy baby girl and left the room.

"Fury, keep him busy! And you, whatever your name is! Ward the doors! I need all my concentration here," she said getting back to her work with a much more serious expression then she had held a moment ago.

"What's happening?"

"He's hemorrhaging, badly. I can stop it, but I need to focus, now MOVE!" she almost yelled as her wand continued its work trying to stop the bleeding.

Fury wasted no further time as he left the room. As soon as he was out of the room

Pandora set about putting up Wards to keep others out. It didn't take her long before she turned back, her task complete, and watched the Healer work. Serene was a flurry of wand movements and incantations as she continued to heal Harry. From her new position, Pandora could see the blood pooling.

"This isn't going to work," Serene muttered before casting a glance over her shoulder. "Go in my bag, there should be a tear shaped bottle with a red potion inside." She ordered the WAND Agent.

Pandora went over and looked. There were a lot of potions like that. "This one?" she asked holding one of them up.

Serene barely even glanced before she nodded. "I need you to feed it to him. I almost have the bleeding stopped now, but he's lost too much blood as is." She explained, even as Pandora moved to sit by his head. "If I stop now, almost all my work will be undone and we end up back at square one." She explained before going back to her spell casting.

Pandora fed him the potion easily. And set to waiting for further instructions. Twice more over the course of what felt like two hours, Serene had him drink another potion. One was another blood replenisher, and the other was a healing potion. Then, Finally after so long waiting. Serene wiped her brow with a sigh of relief.

"The bleeding has finally stopped. Now he just needs to rest."

-oOlllOo-

Steve was pacing outside the door. His baby daughter sleeping peacefully in his arms. Fury had attempted to get him to leave so the baby could be checked by a SHIELD Doctor, but he had known something was amiss as soon as he had brought it up. Fury wasn't really scared of anyone, but he did have a healthy degree of respect for Harry. The notion that he would even suggest taking the baby to SHIELD without telling Harry was so out of character, that Steve had immediately been put on guard.

As it turned out. He had a right to be. When he tried to re-enter the room, he found the doors locked and seemingly reinforced. He was forced to resign himself to waiting anxiously for news. Fury had tried a few more times to get him to calm down but gave up when it became clear that he had no intention of listening.

To Fury, it was no surprise that the baby had caused some damage. He wasn't a Doctor, but a ten-pound 4-ounce baby was big for anyone to have to carry, never mind that Harry was a male. He knew from several conversations he had had with his Brother over the last few months, that babies born from male pregnancies were often on the smaller side, somewhere between six and seven pounds. So, For Harry to give birth to a ten pounder was ridiculous. Still, from what he knew of him, Harry never did anything by half or even _normal_ standards. After almost two hours of waiting, the door finally opened to reveal Pandora and an exhausted-looking Serene.

"Is he…" Steve asked immediately.

"Harrys gonna be just fine. He's resting now, but you can go see him." Serene answered with a tired smile.

Steve didn't waste any time and made his way inside to see his lover.

Serene turned back to Fury. "How big was she?"

Fury winced. "19 inches long, 10 pounds 4 ounces."

She sighed resigned. "I should have guessed that Steve would make a big baby."

"Do you think it's the super serum?" Fury asked seriously

She shrugged "Anything is possible. If she starts bending Iron bars at two, I think we'll have a decent idea." She answered.

Steve, meanwhile, had gone to sit next to Harry. He already looked less pale then he had earlier. The bleeding having been stopped and the blood replenishers doing their job. He reached forward and absently brushed aside some of his fringe. "You did Harry," he said quietly. "We have a beautiful baby girl, all thanks to you."

He held her up as if to show him. She was asleep now. Her little face had smoothed out in her sleep. She hadn't opened her eyes for him yet, not even while he had been cleaning her. Steve was very happy now, that he had listened to Harry and watched a few videos on how to hold and care for a child. Of course, theirs was going to have magic. So, he was going to have to be careful of that until she was older. According to Harry, she would most likely have little to no control over her magic until after she started school. Or at least, that's what Harry had said. Serene had pointed out that it was likely her magic would begin to taper off around the age of eight, but Harry had laughed and pointed out that no member of his family was in the norm.

Harry opened his eyes to gaze at his family tiredly. "Hey you," Steve said with a smile.

Harry looked at their baby girl and his lips twitched.

"Lily," He said quietly before falling back to sleep.

Steve smiled. His Daughter finally had a name. He noted that a phone was ringing somewhere in the house, but he paid it no mind as he continued to watch over his new family.

After a few moments of Silence, Serene came back in, looking just as tired as earlier. "Um, Steve?"

"What is it Serene?" he asked, not bothering to look up from Harry as he bounced his baby girl absently in the crook of his arm.

"Hermione Granger is on the line, she's demanding to talk to you." She said sounding only slightly annoyed.

Steve sighed as he knew he wasn't going to be able to ignore the witch. He gave a small kiss to Harry's brow, before standing up and leaving the room to go find the Magical phone in the house. Harry had moved it from his bedroom to his Study at some point, it was far more convenient that way. Especially considering that, after he and Hermione had supposedly patched things up, she had started calling him at the most inconvenient times. That wasn't to say she called while he was trying to sleep or anything like that, no no no. She always seemed to call when they were in the middle of sex. Every, single, time.

Steve stepped into Harry's study, his baby girl fussing a little in her sleep. As he calmed her down, he looked at the room, it was always interesting how every room in this house was a little different in their styles. The study was done in rich reds and browns. On the wall to the left was a wood stove, set on top of a decorated and polished cement slab. The wall behind it was finished with a dark wood wainscoting with several rows of bookshelves on either side of it. The opposite wall had several more bookshelves and a few pictures hung up on it. Harry had shown them to him once. One was of a group his parents had once been a part of, something called "The Order of the Phoenix". He wasn't really sure how he had felt about Harry's parents apparently being vigilantes. But Harry had pointed out that that was rather hypocritical, coming from a spandex wearing crimefighter.

Directly in front of that wall was Harry's desk. It was a huge solid wooden thing. Steve was convinced that Harry must have used magic to get it in there because there was no other way the thing would have fit otherwise. He had thought it was made out of Mahogany when he first saw it, but Harry had said it was made out of something called Caranda. On the desk was the Phone, the receiver resting on its side waiting for him to pick it up.

He didn't even bother to center himself, too worried about Harry to care about much else. "Hello?"

"Steve? Ronald come here, it's Steve!" she said, and it sounded like she was moving about for a moment.

"Stop hitting me Woman, I'm right here sweet Merlin!" another voice said on the other side.

"Steve, where's Harry? His Healer wouldn't tell us anything!" she asked worriedly

Steve sighed in exhaustion. "He's just sleeping. The baby came earlier than we thought, it was a hard birth, but he's fine."

"Birth!? What in the Hell are you talking about!?" Hermione and the other voice asked together.

Steve blinked. "Didn't Harry tell you he was pregnant?"

"No, he did not!" Hermione almost screeched into the phone, forcing him to hold it away from his ear. "we're coming over there!"

"What?" both Steve and the man on the other end asked simultaneously.

"This is non-negotiable, we are coming to see Harry. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. And don't tell Harry. He wants to keep secrets, then he has to deal with a few surprises." Hermione said, then hanging up to the sound of the other man trying to talk her out of it.

-oOlllOo-

When Harry finally woke up, the first thing he noticed was the distinct pain in his lower back. He remembered everything right up to Serene saying that he was hemorrhaging, but after that, it was all a blur. He groaned as he rolled himself into a sitting position, the strain reminding him that he no longer had the baby bump.

"Well, I see you're finally awake Harry." Said a very familiar, and at that moment, terrifying voice from off to the side.

Slowly looking over, Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach as he laid eyes on a heavily pregnant Hermione.

"So, how do you feel?" She asked with a smile that didn't meet her eyes as she reached for a cup of tea on the tray next to her. "Your friend Serene makes an amazing Ginger Lavender tea, I haven't felt sick all day."

"Oh, um, Hermione… when did you get here?"

"Ronald and I arrived late yesterday." She said simply, putting the now empty cup back on the tray.

"Ron's here?"

"Yes," she answered. "Honestly, we were quite worried when Steve told us about what a hard time you had giving birth…" she said, leveling a glare at him.

Harry paled. "I, um, uh, it's not what you think?" he offered nervously, already knowing that he was in for one hell of a lecture.

-oOlllOo-

Downstairs Steve, Ron, and Serene were having their morning Coffee when the house rang with the yell of "HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

Steve looked to Ron, who didn't look all that phased. "Should we be worried?" he asked.

Ron shook his head. "She's normally more level-headed," Ron explained. "But since she got Pregnant, she has these snaps. Best to just stay out of her way."

"Yeah but,"

"Look, Harry can take care of himself. Besides, Hermione knows full well the thing Harry hates more than being hexed, is being lectured." He said with a roll of his eyes before he looked pointedly at the bassinet with the fussing baby girl in it next to Steve. "And, you _know_ as soon as you walk ten feet away, she's going to start crying."

Steve sighed. His baby Daughter had been very clingy since her birth. Not wanting him out of her sight. He was hoping that having Harry around might help mellow her out somewhat. He also knew that he and Harry needed to discuss names. Apparently, there were no magical means of finding the baby's gender before birth. And going to a normal hospital was out of the question since bringing a pregnant man in for a screening would raise a few too many red flags. As a result, they hadn't really managed to pick out a name for her before the birth. Not that they would have anyway. Harry had said that choosing a name for their child before they even knew them seemed rather impersonal.

"Is it normal for her to be this…attached?" he asked worriedly

Serene nodded. "It is, especially in magical children. Children are far more sensitive to the energies around them than we adults are. As we get older, we learn to…tune out the white noise, I guess you could say." She explained. "She knows that you're her Father, and She knows that Harry isn't altogether well, so she's clinging to you for support."

He placed his hand into the bassinet and gently rubbed her chest and belly, he had found that it calmed her down. "So, she is magical then," he commented as he watched her settle down from her fussing.

Serene and Ron raised their eyebrows, "The floating bottle this morning wasn't enough of a clue?" Ron asked.

Steve blinked. "I thought that had been one of you."

"No, it's customary in the magical world to not use magic around a newborn until they either reach the age of two, or display magic themselves," Serene explained for him.

"So, Harry wouldn't have used magic either?"

Ron let out a loud bark of laughter. "HA! Harry is anything _but_ traditional. That particular tradition is more of a bad habit than anything else by this point." He explained with a huge amused grin. "it was started by a bunch of uppity purebloods who wanted to know if they had a magical Heir, or if they had to try for another one. Harry wouldn't give two shits if she was born with a tail, he's not one to cast his kid aside over something like not having magic. Not that it matters at this point." He finished proudly.

"Even still, it's both a blessing and a curse really." Serene continued. "It's great that her magic has displayed this early, but you guys are gonna have your hands full trying to handle her."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked nervously.

"Well," She said putting her hand under her chin in thought. "When a nonmagical child throws a tantrum, they might throw a few things around, and tire themselves out. But a magical tantrum, phew boy."

Ron nodded in agreement. "My niece threw one the other day, a real doozy of one. Her mum was trying to ween her off the bottle. Well, that little girl wasn't having any of that. They were still trying to get the scorch marks off the wall when we left." Ron said not noticing how pale Steve had become.

Serene looked interested. "Scorch marks?"

"Her Mums a Veela, so she has a… what's that word Hermione used…A proclivity for Fire?" He said after thinking of the word.

Serene nodded in understanding. Steve, on the other hand, had no idea what a 'Veela' was, and he wasn't altogether sure he wanted to know either.


End file.
